Keeping Guppy/endler Fry Outside.

[saltynay]

In my live food ponds outside I am having a bit of a problem with excessive numbers of mosquito larvae and thinking of adding a few of my more mature fry around 7 weeks old to keep these levels low. The problem is temp I have read that they should be kept for permanent occupation an acceptable range of temps is 19-28C. I have also read however that in some countries where they are able to keep them outside all year round that the ponds get down to mid 40F which is around 7C but the weakest die off and the strongest have to contend with a disease spike as temps raise above low 50F. My air temps are 17C in the day and 12C air temp at night. The food ponds are unfiltered but there is a large clump of elodea in there with lots of algae and I can do large water changes each day. The fry will be swapping warmth for an abundance of food as their is mossies, blood worms, daphnia and infusoria in these ponds. The ponds won't be their permanent residence I will take them out before it gets too cold in the winter.

Just wondering if any one has done this before in the UK?

 

[helterskelter]

I used to keep them out side when i had a garden from late May to early Oct but if you get a frost then your be in trouble.

I used to have 100's of Japanese Blue guppies most was all out side until we had a early frost in Oct and i lost all the fish out side

 

[saltynay]

Frost at this time of year I live in the flat and mild south east not in the highlands of Scotland.

 

[helterskelter]

I used to keep them out side when i had a garden from late May to early Oct but if you get a frost then your be in trouble.

Frosts are common until mid may down south, OK not been so bad the last 3-4 years but wish u would read what i say and not presume i live doen south too.

 

[saltynay]

I did read and I did notice you were in dorset I just wasn't sure whether you had checked my details on where I was

 

[helterskelter]

Yes i did read where your from, thats why i know it would be similar to myself...

I if u read, I said till late May and the weather the last couple of nights would of pushed them a little but should be ok still.
But if their was a freak frost (which is possible but very rare now) then you would lose them.

Just advising you, you don't have to take in what I've done and do it your self if u want!

 

[saltynay]

I am sorry if I have offended you and I appreciate your experience backed advice. I have put 4 fry in a 10 gallon live food pond as I have 50 odd I am not to bothered if they meet their maker. In retrospect I probably should of added them tomorrow morning so that they get the mid day sun to warm them up instead of the plunge from 27C in my tank to the 14-15C the water probably is in the container but I can always try again if they don't survive.

 

[helterskelter]

If your tank is at 27c then don't move them, they will just suffer and die due to the sudden change.

You have to drop ur tank temp to 20-22C for a few days to get them use to the cooler temp's.
I use unheated tanks which are at room temp and still have to do this slowly unless you wait a few more weeks for the water temp to get up a bit yep pout doors.

 

[saltynay]

I have a betta so dropping temp that low isn't going to make him happy. If they die then they will rise the ammonia levels making my elodea and algae happier so not a complete loss. Just checked and they are gorging on the smaller mosquito larvae so at least they are fulfilling their job.

 

[kizno1]

couldnt you put a small heater in ther and just switch it on at night to theres no so much of a temp change

 

[saltynay]

No that would mean moving 10 gallons of water which is 45 kilos in dead weight 90m to the other side of the garden and in to the coach house everyday where it is now it gets the sun from dawn at 4:30 am to 8pm when the sun just slips behind the garden wall. Optimum conditions for the algae which then supports the live food in there.

 

[saltynay]

Just checked and 2 for sure survived last night perhaps the other 2 are hiding as I couldn't see the bodies, obviously the fry are very resilient.

 

[chesterscot]

remember ten gallons isnt alot of water it will heat up and cool down much quicker than a larger bodied pond so fluctuations at the beggining and end of the outdoor season will stress them
regards scot

 

[Platygirl11]

Why not simply get some fish that eat the larvae that are more suited to your temperatures?

 

[saltynay]

That costs money mi dear